Adagio
by Wicked Calliope
Summary: AU: After being disowned by his brother, Inu Yasha meets a girl (almost) from the other side of the tracks whom he thinks could never understand the danger in his dark world.


**Summary:** AU: After being disowned by his brother, Inu Yasha meets a girl (almost) from the other side of the tracks whom he thinks could never understand the danger in his dark world.

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Adagio

-

"Brother ..."

"No. I covered your ass once to protect you from Father and from ruining our name. I will not do it again."

Inu Yasha winced at the commanding words from his older brother. Tension lay heavy in the Victorian styled room; the attempts at a homey feel lost with the detached air between siblings. Sesshomaru turned a chilled gaze to the other, pacing over the fine carpeting that the youngest of their family had learned to despise. The mansion's high ceilings and oak wood designs suddenly felt cold in the open room despite the fire Sesshomaru had stood before. Of course, a fire place's warmth can only reach so far.

The oldest stopped before the boy covered in a worn leather jacket and jeans, gazing steadily at him in the eye as he spoke his next words business like and with finality.

"Your bank account is open an accessible to only you. Whatever money Father left to you is still there, plus whatever had been there before" Sesshomaru snorted"for college. It is up to you what you do with it. I'd suggest getting an apartment and a job."

Inu Yasha glared at the other, trembling"What do you expect me to do for school huh? Are you really just going to drop me like this" Sesshomaru smirked as he saw his youngest brother's fists clench and the beginning of tears forming in his eyes. A sign of weakness; something Sesshomaru detested yet thrived on.

"Quite frankly I don't give a shit what you do. You never cared about schooling before or" He sneered, looking down his nose as if he had found some sort of disgusting bug"what trash bin you happened to find for the night. Like mother like son I suppose ..."

The low snarling emitting from the youngest told Sesshomaru he had pressed a very sensitive button. The smirk never left his face as he turned to a desk that sat to the right of the fireplace. He picked up a stack of papers held in a manilla folder.

"The disownment will be final within the week. I'm sure Akira-san will be willing to send you copy of the papers if you leave a message." The oldest brother did not bother turning to face the one he was insulting as he finished the informal meeting"I'm glad your name will not be in our family anymore Inu Yasha." He said quietly.

The growling behind him grew louder, and Sesshomaru could have sworn he heard the beginnings of a choked sob. Better not look at the little brother, he thought. Might have a moment of pity.

Maybe.

"The shit you've pulled has caused us all a lot more pain than you're worth. Including your mother."

"And the markings on your face are proof of your own mistakes."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened with anger, turning with his mouth open and ready to yell at such an audacious retort; but Inu Yasha had already gathered a bright red back-pack and was striding toward the giant wood doors that stood partially open. Once he stepped a rebellious foot outside those doors: there could be no welcome return.

"Sayanoora Sesshomaru." Inu Yasha snarled before he walked through the exit"I hope you think you're making our Father happy by doing this. I personally think he would be ashamed beyond repair to know this is what is his precious oldest son." He spat the last three words as if they were a bad taste.

Sesshomaru only stood there in the cold room, smiling icily at the closed doors.

-

"Hey! What happened"

"Leave me the fuck alone."

Koga stopped his trailing as his white-haired leader turned sharply into an alley. The black haired boy stopped, huffing irately while settling his hands on his hips. "Prick, anyone" He muttered. He frowned as he heard trash cans being kicked over followed by extremely colorful cursing. Koga leaned against the side of a mostly abandoned brick apartment building; waiting until the thumping movements stopped their violence.

"What happened" He called a second time into the dark alley.

"Non of your goddamned business." Was the grumbled reply.

Koga sighed, adjusting his brown headband that kept sliding down his forehead. He waited a few more moments before leaning to peer into the alley.

Inu Yasha sat with his legs strait before him, panting slightly; which probably had something to do with the bent and toppled trash cans now lay scattered along the ground. His hair fell over his shoulders, occasionally gleaming silver if the full moonlight currently beaming down on the pair caught the strands correctly. His body was shadowed from the tall building he sat against, though the tenseness racking him was more than evident.

Koga sighed again, pushing his bangs from his face. "It is my business if you're going to be acting this way." He said gently. Inu Yasha glanced him. The other was bit taken aback at the tired expression held on the golden eyed boy's face: whatever happened must have been serious.

Koga took this as silent permission to approach, slipping forward and sitting on his heels beside the exausted creature. "What happened" He asked again, settling a hand on Inu Yasha's shoulder.

The mentioned muttered so quietly, his response almost was not heard"Sesshomaru disowned me." Koga's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"No way."

Inu Yasha forlornly nodded conformation.

"But we need his "

"I KNOW" The other screamed. Koga immediately gave up any converstation concerning the topic at the piercing glare of his friend's eyes.

"Oi ... koinu ..." Inu Yasha winced at the pet name; Koga dismissed it quickly"Let's just go into the apartments and you can think about this later ..." A weary nod of agreement; Inu Yasha was unwillingly lifted to his feet but led the way through the door hidden against the brick wall and shadows of the dank alleyway.

-

"I don't want to."

"It's not that bad."

"I don't see you out there performing."

"Now Kagome, you know I do as much as you do." Long time best friend to Higurashi Kagome, Sango watched with some amusement as the girl paced throughout her spacious room. Sango pulled her knees to her chest on top of the bright pink comforter that was her friend's, resisting the urge to chuckle at Kagome's nervousness. She had never seen the other girl so jumpy before; this was actually quite entertaining.

Said best friend stopped in front of her bureau with a giant wood framed mirror to fidget with the black dress that draped over her form. Sango rolled her eyes"You'll do fine Kago-chan and your dress looks fine."

Kagome turned to check her backside"You don't think it makes me look ... like a ... well ..."

"Hoochy" The other inquired. "Hussy? Hooker? Tramp? Vixen"

"Sango" Kagome yelled, her face pink with fluster. Sango laughed from her place on her friend's bed.

"Kago-chan, you look fine, you'll do fine and even if you mess up a little I'm sure no one will notice since the rest of your performance will be flawless." The ebony haired girl nodded as if agreeing with herself, smiling when she saw Kagome visibly relax. The high strung girl inhaled deeply.

"Thank you Sango." She breathed gratefully.

A light knocking outside Kagome's bedroom door interrupted the relaxation that had about to take place. Her body immediately tensed again, the panicked expression on her face returning. A small childish voice called from its side of the door. "Oi! Aneki! It's time."

"Oh kami-sama oh kami oh kami oh kami oh kami ..." Kagome squealed, jumping up and down with her hands fisted before her face in fear. Sango sighed, standing up and steering her friend onward to her dreaded future.

"C'mon ..."

"Oh kami-sama kill me now ..."

The amused small voice said through the door"It's not like you haven't played in front of people before Aneki. If no one is impressed at least me, kassan and ojiisan will be."

"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER SOTA" Kagome flung the door open on her unprepared little brother. The small boy cringed, stepping back to protect himself from his harried sister.

Sota picked up the fat cat that had been happily rubbing himself against the boy, using the animal as a shield"Kassan sent me." He squeaked"She wanted you down at least five minutes before you had to play."

"Keep moving." Sango prodded insistently. Kagome fought back a feral growl at her little brother, exaggerating her stomping as she passed. They turned left and made way through the long hallway that greeted them. The walls were plastered with expensive prints of artwork and portraits of family, painted a burgundy shade of red with the corridor decorated with scattered fabric flowers on top of stools.

Kagome, Sango and Sota traveled as though this magnificent house was nothing out of the ordinary, as though such a place was hum-drum and deserved no awed attention. The further down the hallway they reached, the more people crowded the hall. Some doors sat open for the public to explore, though most socialized politely: listening to stories no one wanted to hear, laughing at horrid jokes and not bothering to hide boredom the longer conversations grew.

Kagome had discovered her way of life required much forced politeness and despite her best efforts often found herself coerced into dreary conversations with those three times her age. Aware that she could be caught into such a scheme very quickly: Kagome gave the air of irritation and angrily made her way through her house, stopping only when she reach the apex of the main stairwell that sat high enough to give a view of all the guests littered in the 'greeting hall' as her mother referred to it.

The girl to be performing smiled at the friend who met her at her side"Okay, here we go." Kagome said weakly. Sango nodded her approval, giving a reassuring thumbs up.

Kagome made her dramatic descent down the spacious stairwell alone, as was expected of the only daughter of a famous actress. She made brief conversation with guests, quickly finding her mother who was mingling with a mob of handsome suitors.

"Kassan." Kagome greeted quietly. The greeting was somewhat detached however, as though she was acknowledging an important visitor rather than her mother.

Said mother's face lit up, and she pushed away from her admirer's to see her daughter. "Kagome" She said cheerfully"I'm glad you came down early, I'm so excited you're playing tonight." Kagome received a warm hug that she reciprocated willingly. Miss Higurashi pulled back with pride coating every word she voiced"Thank you for doing this, I felt that not everything should focuses on me tonight." Kagome couldn't help but smile at the other's honesty.

"The world should know my entire family is gifted"

When Miss Higurashi spoke, one couldn't help but be transfixed at the demanding power in her voice. It required attention with every emotion portrayed, every syllable made; this is what made her a magnificent actress.

Kagome however, was the opposite. Somewhat quiet except around those dear to her, she rarely wanted the attention and did little to attract it. Her clothes remained stylish yet common, and she never did much with her hair except maybe pull it back in a pony-tail every once in awhile. Miss Higurashi on the other hand always had dressed in bright colors when she was young, grabbing notice almost unconsciously mixed with her social personality. While the actress' clothing had toned down with her mature age and discovered motherhood; the one thing she refused to ever let become drab were her prominent hair styles. So proud of her body and looks was she, Miss Higurashi had taken to finding 'do's' that showed off her slowly greying strands.

Kagome began blushing as she was ushered to the far left of the room by her mother. Many turned to see the actress, receiving a view of her daughter fidgeting with the thigh-length black dress that wasn't really moving anywhere. The girl was parked before a grand piano. She turned so she faced every guest that happened to be in her presence, tensing when she saw every face in her direction.

Miss Higurashi clapped, demanding silence from the mumbling crowd. Kagome watched as the transformation was made from Miss Higurashi 'Kassan', to the renowned actress who's movie they were celebrating.

"As a present to me and a privileged occurrence to you all, my daughter Kagome will be performing in adagio; a sonata. Also known as Moonlight Sonata, composed by Beethoven."

Polite clapping filled the room as curious eyes strayed from her mother to herself; the discomfort overtaking Kagome was maddening. She looked around the room, relieved when she saw Sango and her brother standing under the staircase. Sota and Sango waved at her, and she let them know she knew with a small nod.

Kagome felt her mother's hand between her shoulder blades, urging her to the piano. She looked up at woman nervously, rewarded with an encouraging smile and another nudge.

The girl bowed to her audience before pulling out and settling on the wooden bench beneath the keys. Kagome attempted to calm herself by making a show of straitening papers on the stand before her but found herself even more uneasy as she realized the entire room had fallen silent.

'Breath Kagome ...' She thought to herself. 'Done this before ...'

Trembling fingers brushed ivory weights releasing the first gentle wave followed by another followed by another. The waves layered upon themselves until they were almost undistinguishable from the last. Deep calming notes flowed throughout, capturing every listener; created by an unknown siren who found herself captivated with every movement her hands made and the sounds they produced.

The melody ended with a quiet grouping of notes repeated thrice before trickling away into oblivion. Kagome breathed a little easier, standing from her seat and quickly bowing to officially mark the finishing of her display.

The applause was deafening.

-

Inu Yasha lay staring at a brown and cracked ceiling, overwhelmed with the rancid stench of wet mold. He titled his head to the side to see Koga's back curled up beside him. It had to be almost three in the morning, and he still wasn't sleeping. It had nothing to do with the less than desirable sleeping arrangements, or the fact he had had at least five cups of Mountain Dew mixed subtly with vodka before Koga had forced him 'home'. No, it was the questions weighing his mind. The situation his brother had placed him in and wondering what he was going to do.

He certainly couldn't go running to the higher ups. He had no collateral now, and he already owed too much to be asking for favors in living setups. They would mock him and most likely inform Sesshomaru of his pathetic begging. The white-haired boy had too much pride for that. Koga had already been much too kind to him; Inu Yasha did not want to ask for anymore besides unspoken support and the knowledge he -could- ask for help.

He was on his own for sure now, and it all added up this actuality was entirely his fault.

'Damn my arrogance.' Inu Yasha thought ruefully, 'It would make begging a possibility ..."

Shivering with cold from the unheated apartment Inu Yasha pulled his knees to his chest and pulled the dirty blanket covering Koga in his direction.

-

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TBC ...

Review please. If I don't get at the very least five: I'm probably not going to continue.

aneki - Sister

koinu - puppy (but 'koi' can mean lover ... not that I'm implying anything ... it's also a type of fish)

kassan - mom

ojiisan - grandpa

Oi- Hey!


End file.
